CANADA NEPAL GENDER IN ORGANIZATIONS

Section VI: References

Reference #4: Coaching
| Introduction to Coaching |
Gender Integrated Organizational Development:
The NGO Coordinator's Coaching Role as Change Agent

1. Background

CNGO placed one coordinator (NGOC) in each cluster for the capacity enhancement of participant NGOs. The selected participant NGOs were not very strong in the beginning. Some were growing gradually and some were almost sleeping at that time. The project was new and it had to establish trusting relationships with stakeholders in working districts. CNGO work pattern was not fully developed and defined at that time because it was the first experience of CNGO to carry out its activities in the field. On the other hand, Maoists were increasing activities in those districts.

CNGO conducted Organizational Assessment (OA) with all PNGOs to identify their status and needs for capacity building. For example, some of the PNGOs were very weak in internal organization and did not know about the importance of their organization's constitution. Before the implementation of CNGO project, the relationship between the two PNGOs in the district was not good. It was difficult to convince PNGOs to conduct joint training. Some times they did not cooperate with each other for training management, some times they did not agree on the venue. There was conflict between two PNGOs during the first training event in many districts regarding venue or other simple reasons.

CNGO project aimed to build the capacity of district based NGOs as Gender Resource Organization (GRO) so that gender expertise will be available at local level. CNGO helped PNGOs to influence local government, line agencies and NGOs to integrate gender in their program and to apply the national gender policies at district level. CNGO project worked at district level in four areas - Gender Integrated Capacity Building of PNGOs, DDC/NGO Partnership Program, NGO Associations Strengthening Program and Gender Allies Initiative. All these CNGO initiatives together create gender momentum in the districts. DPP is a common forum for GOs and NGOs to interact with each other. It develops linkages among NGOs, line agencies and DDC to act together on gender. PNGOs provide gender expertise at local level to integrate gender in the program of NGOs, line agencies and local government. Networks of civil society such as Gender Allies and NGO Associations play vital roles to advocate on gender issues. In this way, a gender work synergy has been created at district level.

NGO Coordinator role as change agent NGO coordinators had a big challenge to break gender barriers and work culture barriers in the PNGOs. CNGO consultants and training teams provided many inputs to PNGOs in the form of training and workshops. The NGO Coordinator followed up all those events and helped PNGOs to synthesize all those learnings. The coaching role was a critical contribution to empowering women and sensitizing men on gender injustices, resulting in more gender equal PNGOs.

In the beginning PNGOs had an attitude that they expected paid staff and office support from CNGO before signing the agreement. This is the more familiar trend in Nepal, that INGOs without funding support do not work in partnership with local NGOs. Selected NGOs could not believe and accept CNGO as a capacity building non-funding project in the beginning. They were also feeling uneasy to share their realities with CNGO. Some of the suggestions were taken as direct interference in their own internal matters. Thus the non funding status of CNGO created some limitations in the relationship with PNGOs.

It was very difficult to meet the members and take time of PNGOs. They did not want to give time for CNGO activities and reporting. Sometimes NGOC faced problem to collect reports and other documents in time from PNGOs, as nobody was assigned to take responsibility for reporting to CNGO.

In light of the above scenario, the NGO Coordinator facilitated the PNGOs to follow these four important steps:

Promoting internal discussion through regularizing meetings: PNGOs regularized the internal meetings involving gender balanced participants or more women, which encouraged them to make participatory decisions. This made them transparent in front of all the members and helped PNGOs to seek support from all the members.
Practicing the learning event: After each learning event, PNGOs practiced the training module in their own organization for members or in the community groups. This made the PNGOs understand the training contents at a deeper level. They learned how to deliver training. And more PNGO members benefited from and shared the learning.
Activating for further action: PNGOs planned and delivered further action on the basis of their PIF experience. Small practice gave them confidence to act in a wider platform. They developed gender lens and facilitated Gender Allies in the district.
Feedback: This is an important part for the capacity building process. PNGOs were given feedback to improve their skills, knowledge and gender integration in their organization. In the beginning, the PNGO facilitators did not have strong skills in facilitation; now they have confidence in facilitation. They are capable to deliver training at district level.

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2. Introduction to Coaching

Coaching is "an exchange of ideas with faithful friends". The major requirement of "a coach" is to be a faithful friend of the PNGO. The coaching acts professionally while at the same time dealing with NGOs in an informal manner. This makes the coaching role very difficult. On one hand, the coach has to be professional which is a formal approach and on the other hand, s/he has to be "faithful friend" which is informal approach. Both roles by a single person simultaneously are a tough exercise.

Furthermore coaching is unlocking a person's potential to maximize his/her performance. It is helping him/her to learn rather than teaching. Coaching is directly concerned with the improvement of performance and development of skills by a form of tutoring, instruction, advising and counselling.

From the experience in NGO capacity building, coaching entails the following:

Preparation and promotion: This involves mentoring of core skilled persons of the organization, who have certain expertise and ability to cope with challenges, and can lead community and organization. Women especially benefit from this mentoring, as their potential is usually underestimated and undervalued.
Synthesis of learning: Organizations continually learn from their own initiatives and also from exposure with different peoples/organizations. Making the organization use all this learning in a logical sense is an element of coaching; for example, integrating gender concepts into all aspects of the organization - mainstreaming - rather than treating gender as a side issue.
Visioning for and with NGOs: Motivating NGO people toward sweet dream or better future always encourages them to produce better results. But that should be based on real facts, and false expectation should not come in them. All the major actors of the organization should have individual vision or target as well.
Inspiration: Coaching always inspires NGO people to do something better. It plays the role of catalyst in NGO people. All the NGO people - women and men - deserve power and capacity in them; one has to just explore with them and remind them. One can inspire them giving choices and opportunities.
System/Process Facilitation: All the NGOs should have certain working culture in their own organization. The members are supposed to respect those cultures and processes. The coaching role is to make them aware on their mistakes. Noting times when women or disadvantaged people are marginalized in the organization is an example.
Conflict Transformation and Team Building: The coach has to help them dialogue and negotiate with each other. An organization can not be without conflict, especially when gender power relations are being challenged. The coaching role demands the "converting skill" in coaches. The coach should let NGO members accept conflict as an organizational process. And if all the members accept the conflict as such, it brings team building in the organization.
Self Management: Self management comes through the mobilization of hands, minds and hearts. The coach role is not to manage others but s/he should first manage himself/herself as a role model. If you are motivated and committed, your partner NGOs will follow the same thing.
Skill Transfer and Capacity Building: This is a continuing process but it can not be injected. Working together is the best way to transfer skills to NGO people. Providing them opportunities to observe and then implement is another method. Participatory management of training/events (PMT) is a kind of tool that is helpful in skill transfer and capacity building. The coach can ensure that women have access to these opportunities.
Preparing for Survival in Crisis: The external environment brings depression and discouragement in NGOs, especially political and social crisis, with a lot of external threats to them in these times. Women NGOs especially face challenges for acceptance. The coach role is to pump them with courage and wisdom to cope with the new challenging situation. Help in preparing a new strategy is also essential.
Acceptance Building: NGOs in Nepali traditional society are very new. So, people as well as other social organizations are uncomfortable with NGO initiatives, although they are slowly becoming more familiar. Acceptance doesn't come only with better performance of the organization. It needs people's broader participation, democratic and transparent culture and so on in the organization. Sensitizing social, political actors and bureaucrats on NGO initiatives on gender equality for example and gathering their support is another challenge. The coach can make it easier for NGOs by creating a positive environment for them through promoting and recognizing their good work in common forums, and speaking up for changes in gender relations.

Some methods used in the name of coaching don't help to achieve coaching objectives. These are:

Sponsor a particular individual or team: The coach should not sponsor any particular individual or organization. It is NGO's own responsibility to prove itself.
Imposing learning: It is not the coach's role to illustrate and conclude learning. It comes from self consciousness. The coach has only to promote free thinking in the organization.
Assignment of tasks to PNGOs: It is not the role of the coach to assign tasks to the PNGO. Rather, through a continuous process of visioning in an organization, the PNGO sets its own tasks. The NGO people should not be the tool to fulfill the ambition of the coach.
Manipulation: If something is going to be wrong, let it go wrong. The NGO people will learn from the results. In fact, learning from mistakes and how to correct mistakes is a powerful source of learning. The coach should not interrupt the learning process of the organization by elaborating solutions, once they have made decisions.
Maintaining discipline in the organization: Most of the time PNGOs expect the coach to judge what is going wrong and what is going right in their organization. But the coach role is not to judge them.
Conflict resolution and playing role as mediator: The coach is not mediator or judge for resolution of the conflict. The coach is not supposed to provide justice or sanction to the guilty person. The coach role should be always non-judgmental.
Organizational management or human resource management: The coach task is not to help manage the organization. The coach is certainly management facilitator but not manager.
Pumping out skills: Dragging the PNGO people toward doing something is not an appropriate approach. Creation of confidence and creativity in NGO members is the only appropriate methodology.
Gambling with crisis: Wrong wording and misinterpretation of local situation in this insurgency situation may be counter productive for him/her. His/her behaviour and message should be as clear as possible. He/she should be able to demonstrate a bias-free and fair analysis of everything.
Pulling out support: Nobody is ready to give you automatic respect. Your professionalism and commitment can only attract others. Outside support comes through your own performance. Individual personalities and organizations credibility are the keys to build acceptance.